One-Two Step

I am taking two easy steps towards keeping the fat off and the muscle on. The first step is drinking enough water to keep my liver and kidneys operating at peak levels. These organs are responsible for processing fat and other toxins but when the body is dehydrated, strain on the liver to help the kidneys process toxins effectively reduces its fat-reducing ability. In addition, staying hydrated keeps cells "volumized" thereby promoting more efficient protein metabolism. Since I am not consuming water during the seven hours that I sleep each night, the first thing I do each morning is drink 16-20oz of chilled water to rehydrate. Drinking this much water first thing in the morning has been shown to increase test subjects' metabolism by 10%.

Men's Health magazine has suggests as a general rule that a person should consume 12 ounces of water for every two hours we're awake. Given this model, I should drink at least 150 ounces of water each day (roughly nine standard-sized 16.9oz water bottles). This may seem like a ridiculously high volume of water but in the past, it has worked for me. The numbers change when you hit the gym. Here's an interesting article about exercise and water from Men's Health.

The second step to decreasing body fat and increasing muscle mass? Sleep. Studies show that sleeping an average of 7-9 hours each night maximizes the amount of HGH secreted by your brain's pituitary gland during REM sleep. HGH (human growth hormone) is responsible for lowering body fat (especially abdominal fat), increasing lean muscle tissue, and otherwise staving off the physical manifestations of aging. It is also responsible (allegedly) for LL Cool J's ripped physique and Missy Elliot's rapid weight loss - although these accusations are based on synthetically produced HGH which was injected (allegedly). These twice-daily injections can cost up to $1,000 a month. Get enough uninterrupted sleep each night and you can reap some of the benefits. No charge.